Geology

Environmental protection

Surface water

Biology

Water pollution

Environmental chemistry

Geochemistry

Chemistry

Geotechnical engineering

Ecology

Heavy metals

Water quality

Hydrology (agriculture)

Environmental science

Weathering

Pollution

Environmental engineering

Global Ecology and Conservation

This study collected past sampling data on total concentrations of 12 heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Cr, Hg, Zn, Cu, Ni, Al, Fe, Mn, As, and Co) in surface water bodies, i.e., 168 rivers and 71 lakes, from 1972 to 2017. The intent was to investigate the levels and sources of heavy metal pollution across five decades and five continents. Mean heavy metal concentrations in global river and lake water, and the number of heavy metals with concentrations greater than the published threshold limits as per the standards of both the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) were generally lower in the 1970s and 1980s than in the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s. Over time, heavy metal pollution in surface water has changed from single metal pollution to mixed metal pollution. Heavy metal concentrations in water, and the number of heavy metals with concentrations above the threshold limits for both WHO and USEPA standards were lower in the developed countries of Europe and North America, and higher in the developing countries of Africa, Asia, and South America. Over time, the main sources of metal pollution have changed from mining and manufacturing to rock weathering and waste discharge. The main metal sources differed across the five continents, with fertilizer and pesticide use, along with rock weathering, being dominant in Africa. Mining and manufacturing, along with rock weathering, were dominant in Asia and Europe. Mining and manufacturing, along with fertilizer and pesticide use, were dominant sources in North America, while four sources (mining and manufacturing, fertilizer and pesticide use, rock weathering, and waste discharge) were responsible for the majority of heavy metal pollution in the river and lake water bodies of South America. Additionally, implementing rigorous standards on metal emissions and recycling metals from wastewater are effective for controlling heavy metal source pollution.

Total concentrations and sources of heavy metal pollution in global river and lake water bodies from 1972 to 2017